


fireworks

by ladyzanra



Series: Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Awkward Dean, Awkward Flirting, Bugs & Insects, Castiel and emoticons, Fireworks, Fourth of July, Human Castiel, M/M, Team Free Will chillin', Team Free Will on holiday, Text Wooing, Texting, Unreadable Castiel, a pretend-season-nine-never-happened-fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-03
Updated: 2014-07-03
Packaged: 2018-02-07 00:42:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1878537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyzanra/pseuds/ladyzanra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The quiet beneath the chaos of the sky has put Dean in a weird mood, like no one's watching him, and like it wouldn't suddenly be weird to shoot Cas a stupid mundane text.</p><p>  <i>you havin fun?</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	fireworks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [casincharge](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=casincharge).



> also on [tumblr](http://grumpyfeathers.tumblr.com/post/90616519789/enamor-me-for-the-drabble-thing-it-would-be-so-cute) :)
> 
> for the "enamor me" prompt [here](http://grumpyfeathers.tumblr.com/post/90217220329/even-more-drabbles).

Dean thinks maybe the fireworks bursting and cascading overhead will help make this a less nerve-wracking gamble. Somehow.  
  
The three of them are sprawled out under the velvet-black sky in the middle of a sea of people, Sam sitting in a (hilariously too small) beach chair a few feet in front of Dean who's lying on his back, and Cas lying down on a separate blanket a little ways to the right, hands folded contemplatively over his chest, the bright flashes of fireworks reflecting in his dark hair. The quiet beneath the chaos of the sky has put Dean in a weird mood, like no one's watching him, and like it wouldn't suddenly be weird to shoot Cas a stupid mundane text.  
  
 _you havin fun?_  
  
Cas takes his phone out of his pocket at the vibration. **yes.**  
  
 _i know its nothing special_  
  
(Fireworks can't possibly compare to whatever sort of mind blowing wonders a millions-of-years-old x-angel has seen.)  
  
 **i like it.**  
  
 _ok. cool.  
  
_ Dean glances around. There's a group of kids throwing glow sticks into the air to their left, bright whirling neon like laugher in the air. Dean takes a deep breath and texts without looking at the screen,  
  
 _that big whte one reminded me ofyou_  
  
Cas's text-silence compels Dean to elaborate quickly,  
  
 _when we first met_  
 _in the barn_  
 _i mean when you walked in and_  
 _blew out all the lights u looked sort of like that_  
  
After a very long time, Dean's phone lights up:  
  
 **oh.**  
  
Fuck. This was a mistake. Dean has no fucking idea what possessed him to try in the first place. He starts to type in something completely different to change the topic, something about Cas finishing all the coffee and not telling anyone and about how they need to stop off at a grocery store on the way home, when Dean's phone lights up again:  
  
 **was i too bright for you?**  
  
Dean stops. His mind stops frantically weaving for a moment. He doesn't know how to take Cas's text. At all. If Cas is being serious or if this is – something else. Dean doesn't want to respond seriously if this _is_ something else. But he doesn't want to get his hopes up either. He types in several dumb joking replies and backspaces them all.  
  
 **there are several children here who won't stop crying.  
** **i think the fireworks are too much for them.**  
  
Oh. Dean stares around. He doesn't hear them. But he's half deaf to begin with and Cas has some sort of angel-residue sixth sense which it comes to upset kids.  
  
 _their parents or whoever should take them home_ , he texts pointlessly.  
  
 **yeah.  
** **i never meant to** , Cas texts, and then nothing for a while. **i didn't mean to scare you, back then**  
  
 _Cas you didn't_  
 _it's cool_  
Dean hesitates, chest fluttering annoyingly, before he presses send. _i meant you were like a firework in a GOOD way_  
  
 **you tried to kill me.**  
  
 _yeah, well_  
  
Dean's dumb. Phones are dumb. This whole thing is dumb. He glances up at Cas for the first time but Cas looks exactly the same as he did before, lying back and staring at his phone. Dean can't see his face. Dean looks despairingly back at his own phone.

 **:)  
  
** And blinks. Several times until he's sure he's not hallucinating.  
  
That is an actual smiley face. From Cas. He wonders how often Cas is actually smiling underneath his incurably grave expression. Like maybe there's this whole side of Cas he never even knew about. Dean's way out of his depth with this.  
  
Dean's deciding this might be a good place to just let the conversation die and forget about the whole thing when his phone buzzes:  
  
 **there is a bug in my pants.**  
  
Dean decides Cas means exactly what he says. Perfectly Cas-level TMI.  
  
 _lucky bug_  
 _***I MEAN LUCKY yOU_  
 _didn't you use the bug spray_  
 _after sam used it didn't he give it to you_  
  
Cas's next text is a goddamn relief, all things considered:  
  
 **i can't spray bugs in the dark.**  
  
It's amazing that Cas can make him smile in virtually any situation.  
  
 _you're supposed to spray yourself Cas_  
 _so that the bugs don't wanna bite you_  
  
A pause. **ah.**  
  
 _did sam leave it in the car_  
  
 **i don't know  
  
** Dean stretches his leg out as far as it will go without having to actually get up and kicks the side of Sam's chair. "Hey, where's the bug spray?"  
  
"The car," Sam says, pulling out one of his earbuds for a moment.  
  
"C'mon Cas," Dean says loudly over the noise, and pockets his phone. "I'll show you."  
  
Dean gives Cas the briefest of glances to make sure Cas intends to follow. Then he heads straight for the car. The parking lot is a minute or more from the elementary school field where people have gathered to watch the fireworks. Away from all that, the air grows cold, quiet. Besides the fireworks, all Dean hears is the crunch of gravel beneath their shoes and the strangely forlorn chirping of crickets around them. It feels a little more like _them_ , feels a little more real, somehow. It's sobering and centering and yet uncertain at once.  
  
They reach the parking lot. Most of the stores on this side are closed and dark. The lot has overhead lights and there's a twenty-four seven CVS across the way, leaking light like a door someone left open, but the place feels desolate anyway. Dean snatches the bug spray off of Sammy's seat and snaps the door shut.  
  
He motions to Cas to stand a little way away from the car. "Hold out your arms." Cas does so without protest. Lets Dean do it for him, the first time. "You wanna spray everywhere your clothes don't cover," Dean says as he sprays Cas's arm and then rubs it in. Brisk, businesslike over the swell of muscle at Cas's elbow. No, okay, for a split second Dean lets his hand linger too long, wondering. He tries not to wonder if Cas noticed. (He tries not to think about the smiley face.) He sprays the other arm. Cas wrinkles his nose at the smell.  
  
"Close your eyes," Dean says next, and Cas just does it, trustingly without a word. Dean sprays and Cas scrunches up his face reflexively. Then relaxes. Dean rubs the bug spray into Cas's forehead, runs his hand down Cas's sharp aquiline nose, over his cheeks and down to his chin. He gets his ears and his neck, too. The hair at the nape of Cas's neck is curly and the skin over the bumps of the top of his spine is a little damp. Dean grinds his teeth, angry at himself.  
  
He clicks the top back on the bug spray and tosses it back in the car. "See? Simple." Cas is sniffing his arm. "Don't worry, you smell great. Let's go." Dean turn around.  
  
"Dean."  
  
Shit.  
  
Dean turns around and it's exactly what he feared. Cas isn't moving.  
  
Cas squints at him. "On the phone, were you. Trying to _woo_ me?"  
  
"Whoa. Wait, _what_?" Dean stutters. Cas's impassive tone sends a lead weight to the bottom of Dean's stomach, and suddenly the whole thing seems unbearably fucking stupid. Unthinkable. "Woo, what? No, I wasn't, Cas if this is about like, the bug thing, my phone, damn autocorrect, always changing what you're typing, no, no wooing happened." Dean's heart is pounding. He feels alone and helpless, like he's been left to die on a deserted island or jettisoned off into space. He feels like there's an empty space inside of himself, too. "No I was not uh. I just wanted to talk to you, man, I just, you know, aah man, ha ha, ha, we should get back before the finale." Dean tilts his head a little and forces a smile, "you said you liked them. The fireworks. You won't have to worry about any more bugs getting too friendly. No Cas I didn't. No."  
  
"Oh." Cas looks down dejectedly. "That's a shame," he says.  
  
Dean's brain malfunctions and focuses on the booming fireworks in the distance instead of what just happened in front of him.  
  
Cas turns to walk away.  
  
Dean stops him and kisses him hard.  
  
It smells like bug spray and sweat and it tastes like the mustard Cas had on his hamburger for dinner, but Cas's mouth is just as eager and relieved as his and it still lights up Dean's whole world.


End file.
